You would never know anything had happened to Woody yesterday. He has one minor graze about half an inch long on his fetlock, a patch of hair the size of the top joint of my thumb missing off his neck, and he trotted off down the field completely sound this morning. The vet told me to give him two bute last night but I didn't. I believe that pain has a purpose - to stop the horse from further damaging an injury. I wanted to know what his real state would be this morning before turning him out, not suppress the pain and inflammation and possibly turn him out to aggravate a hidden serious injury. |But judging from how he ate, he doesn't even appear to have a stiff neck, even though he spent at
least 15 minutes upside down with it pinned sideways under his
shoulders.
I just don't understand how he got away with it, I really don't.
I decided that I needed a nice quiet and successful ride this morning, so I heated up Ace, who has been ignored for most of the week and deserves some time to be spent on him. He was smashing. He is really getting the hang of medium trot, and I introduced counter canter for the first time. On the first one he did a flying change (I think he's going to find them easy!), the second one he broke to trot, but at the third attempt on each leg he counter cantered a full 20 m half circle. I was so pleased with him! I was also doing walk to canter to put him into the canter in the first place and they were clean as a whistle and right on the aid.
I tried some rein back but he was very resistant. I got off to reinforce the in hand "back" command that he knows and does really well. I got back on but he was still resistant and began to swish his tail (always a bad sign!) and to fiddle his front feet (also a bad sign, normally a precursor to an explosion).
So I took him inside the barn where he would be less distracted and have no space to do anything too silly. He was really obstructive at first but I just kept repeating the voice command and the aid and if he didn't move backwards I kicked him into going forwards instead. He got the message after a couple of Pony Club kicks and then offered some rein back, for which he got well praised and we stopped.
I plan to ride him again tomorrow, and Radar, but leave Woody until Wednesday. If he is going to stiffen up, then 48 hours will be the worst time, but if he is as good on Wednesday as he looks today, I'll work him and see how he feels.
C
For some reason, the "Back" command does not seem to work well from the saddle. Not sure why, but I guess the horse just does not connect the command when no one is in front of him.
ReplyDeleteAlways remember to lighten your seat and kind of lift "forward" when you ask for back. And don't put your own legs too far back as that aid needs to be reserved for piaffe/passage stuff. (So they say.....)
As for Woody. Horses never cease to amaze me. I guess it just goes to show how they survive in the wild despite probably getting into all kinds of difficulties. They have to be resilient, I guess. Glad his body is OK. Now all you will have to check is how his brain survived.
Woody is just right back to how he has always been, Jean, quiet and gentle. I don't expect him to be any different to ride at home than he has always been. If it turns out not to be a one-off, then I would not keep him alive. The chances of him killing someone would just be too high. I'm certain that it was just the hunting though. What a shame, since that was my main reason for having him here :-(
ReplyDeleteC
My PJ was fine out on a hack by himself or with one or two other horses. But when I tried to ride with a large group, he edged towards being dangerous. The sound of the hounds and horns from the hunt that ran through the State Park near where I used to board sent him into a tizzy. He had never hunted before I got him, but he had raced. I think the horns must have reminded him of the racetrack.
ReplyDeleteBut, you were thinking of eventing Woody? Once again, out by himself on a cross country course might well be another matter. Again, it was for PJ.
It is odd, Jean, isn't it. I am sure that I am the only person who ever hunted him, and yet he was fired up right from the start of his first day before he could have an inkling of what it meant to be out hunting.
ReplyDeleteC
Do you know if he had ever been out in company with a lot of other horses? Mine is fine by himself, but he can be a dork if there are lots of other horses around, like a Fun Ride. Yet another reason not to hunt him ..............
ReplyDeleteWatch Woody though, sometimes they can hurt themselves yet it does not manifest for some weeks afterwards as they slightly compensate for a sore place and it comes out somewhere else.